Pneumatic signaling apparatus.



No. 703,637. P atentedfluly I, I90 2..

'J. H. BRADY.

PNEUMATIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Dec. 26, 1901.)

- (No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

m: Norms PETERS co wuo'ro-uwm WASHINGTON. o c.

No. 703,637. Patent ed July I, I902.

J. memmv.

PNEUMATIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Dec. 26, 1901.) v (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shea! 2.

WI' 1: Q5505: A en 0 m: uunms versus an, mom-mum. msumc-mm a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. BRADY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

PNEUMATIC SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,637, dated July 1, 1902.

Application filed December 26, 1901. Serial No. 87,342. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. BRADY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Kansas City, in the county of J ackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Signaling Apparatus; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The objects of my invention are, first, the maintenance of fluid under high pressure to actuate the signals; second, the automatic relief of the back pressure of the fluid.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, such as will be first fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

' upon the outer wall of the building, themotors, the liquid compressing andstoring apparatus in the lower room, the fiuid-d'istrib;

uting pipe leading from the storage-tank to I the motors actuating the signals, and the pressure-releasing valve in the distributingpipes. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the fiuid-detonating signal and of the coacting motor showing portions of the fluiddistributing pipes. Fig. 3 is a view of the motor applied to an alternate form of signal. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the motor and signal, as seen in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the tripper to the signal, as seen in Fig.4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a building in which the signaling apparatus is installed, of which ct represents the side or floor-supporting wall, and a b the respective upper and lower rooms. For purposes of illustration the rooms a and b may be considered as within a building devoted to school purposes and the signals employed such as will be responded to by the scholars at the proper time for recreation or dismissal from school. In the present instance the detonating-signal, as illustrated, is an ordinary valved air or steam whistle, as further explained.

Within the lowerroom I) of the building is an air-compressor D, arranged-in a vertical position and connected. with the vertical frame (1. The piston-rodof the compressor is actuated bya water-motor d supplied by the water from the supply-pipe 01 through a pressure-regulator d in the usual manner.

, Near the air-compressor D is a compressedair storage-tank E.

With the air-compressor D is connected one end of a short delivery-pipe (1 upon the other end of which is a pipe-joint d With the pipe-joint d is connected one end of an air-supply pipe (1 upon the end of which within the pipe-joint d is a valve (i With the joint d is connected a short pipe (W, the other endof which pipe extends to a position a short distance above the top of tank E and is connected with the side of a vertical .pipe 01 connected with the top ve of tank E. With the upper end of the'pipe d is connected an air-pressure gage F. \Vith the top of the air receiving or pressure tank E is connected the lower end of a pipe G, the upper end of which pipe extends upwardly through the floor 0 into the room or apartment a and is'preferably near the seat of the principal of the school, by whom the signals as arranged in the manner herein described are given. Upon the upper end of the pipe G is an air-pressure gage 9. With the three-way-pipe joint d is connected the oppositely extended outgoing air supply pipes c1 d", the pipe 61 extending in the di= rection of the wall a of the building and upwardly through the floor 0 within the room a and thence bent at right angles at 61 and extended through the walla to a position on the outer side of the building and thence bent upwardly a short distance, and with said end is connected an air or steam detonating signal H, which for general purposes is the central signaling-station for the school.

The detonating signal H, as shown partly in section in Fig. 2, consists of a cup-shaped receiver 71, having a'tophf, in which top is a screw-threaded opening If, in which is secured the threaded lower end ofa post h which extends upwardly a considerable dis tanee, and with said upper end is connected the collar h, which collar is upon the upper end of a cylindrical shell 72.5, which constitutes the detonator of sound, the collar h being held in place by the screw-cap h. In the top it of the receiver hare the openings h' for the blast of the air within the shell 7L5. Connected with the lower portion of receiver h is a horizontal valve cylinder or chamber kg, in the inner end of which is a valve-seat h. Opposite the valve-chamber is an outwardly and downwardly curved extension h of the side of receiver 71, in which is a chamber 72 Upon the outer end of the chamber h is a flanged cap it. Within the chamber h is a valve-stem 71 one end of which extends past the valve-seat 7t, through the chamber h and the extension 72, and a short distance beyond the outer surface of said extension. Upon the valve-stein h is a valve h within the valve-seat h". Extending around the valve-stem 71, within the valve chamber h is a spiral spring h", one end of which bears against the valve h and the other end against the outer end of the chamber 7L8. In the under side of the chamber 72 is a screw-threaded opening 71,", in which is fitted the upper end of the pipe (1 \Vith the side of pipe G leading from tank E is connected one end of a pipe M, which, as shown, extends through the floor c and connected with the joint m, from which joint a pipe m extends parallel with the pipe d and upwardly within the room a to a position opposite the detonating-signal H and bent at right angles and extended toward said signal. With the said end of pipe M is connected one end of an air-motor K, which consists of a hollow cylinder of the proper size, one end 7; of which is integral with the sides of said cylinder. The other end is screw-threaded, and upon said end is a screw-threaded flanged cap 7;, in which is a screw-threaded opening 75 which receives the screw-threaded end of the pipe M.

Within the cylinder, and normally near the end is a piston k with which is connected a piston-rod 70 the other end of which rod extends through the end 70 of the cylinder, and upon said end is a thimble 70 which comes into contact with the end of the valve-rod 72., which operates the valve h in the detonatingsignal H. Extending around the piston-rod k in the cylinder is a spiral spring 70, one end of which spring bears upon the inner side of piston 70 and the other end upon the inner side of the end 7c of the cylinder the tension of which is of the proper degree to cause a return of the piston to the rear end of the cylinder. In the pipe I in the apartment at is a pressure-relief and cut-oft valve L, which consists of an ordinary cut-olf valve, in the side of which is an opening E, which releases the back pressure of the air from the motor K as well as cutting off the supply of air to the motor.

In order to employ the signals and motor in series, with the joint m is connected a pipe on. The pipes d" and 'm' are extended in parallel lines, and upon the outer ends of the respective pipes is a detonating-signal II and a motor K, as upon the outer ends of the pipes (1 as heretofore described. The inotor and signal for the room a are arranged as follows: With the pipe m is connected one end of a pipe on), the other end of which pipe extends into said room at the proper height and a motor K connected therewith. A branch pipe (1 is made to tap the pipe d and the signal connected therewith, as upon the pipe d. In the pipe M is a pressure-relief and cut-off valve N, which is the same as the valve L.

Instead of the signal H, as illustrated, I may employ an ordinary bell or gong O, as seen in Fig. 3. The gong is mounted upon a plate 0, and a bar or hammer o, pivoted to said plate at its lower end, is held normally in contact with the gong at its upper end by the spring 0 In the side of the bar or hammer 0 is an outwardly-bent portion 0 and a tripper-bar 0 the lower end of which is held normally in position near the gong O by the spring 0 With the upper end of the bar 0 is connected pivotally the piston-rod 70 of the motor K. With the pipe G is connected one end of a pipe I, the other end of which pipe is connected with the motor K, which operates the gong.

In operation the air. supplied to the compressor D is admitted through the pipe (1 and its flow controlled by the check-valve d The amount of compressed air requisite for general use is stored in the tank E, the degree of pressure being indicated by the gages F and g, the pressure in the tank of the air also extending to the valve 71/ in each chamber of a receiver of the various signals and the adequate pressure maintained.

When the alarm is to be given from the signals, the valve L is operated for the signal in the school-room and the valve N for the signals outside of the building. As soon as one of the valves is opened the compressed air passes to the motor K and overcoming the resistance of the spring 70 forces the piston forward, and thus causing the thimble k to come into contact with the end of the valvestem 71. forcing back the valve h in the chamber h admitting the air to escape with force and up the shell k with a loud sound. Upon cutting off the compressed air to the signal the released spring k of the motor acts to move the piston rearwardly in the cylinder, and the back pressure of air reinforced by the spring escapes through the openings in the valves L and N, and the check to the sound of the whistle is instantaneous. The tones of the whistle may be tones of the chromatic scale, and thus pitched to a certain key.

The action of the compressed air is such as to afford a power of economic value and is applicable, as seen in the modification, to the operation of the gong and may be also apair, a detonating fluid signaling device connected with one of said pipes, and a fluid-cylinder upon the end of the other outgoing pipe, a piston and a piston-rod and coacting with the detonating fluid signaling device, and a combined back-pressure relief and cut-off valve in the pipe leading to the cylinder, and

. a spring extending around the piston-rod,

within said cylinder and bearing upon the opposite side of the piston subject to the pressure of the fluid.

2. A pneumatic signaling apparatus comprising an air-compressor and an air-storing receiver for the compressed air, outgoing airdistributing pipes for the compressed air in pairs, a combined cut-off and back-pressure relief-valve in one of said pipes and a detonating air-whistle, receiver connected with the other pipe having an opening for the escape of the air, a valve-chamber in said receiver, a spring-actuated valve, and a valverod extending through the side of said receiver, a cylinder connected with the other pipe, a piston in said cylinder operated in the direction of the said receiver by the compressed air, a piston-rod extending through said cylinder and contacting with the Valverod in the said receiver, and a spring in said cylinder operating upon the other side of the piston and against the air admitted through the combined cut-off and back-pressure relief-valve.

JOSEPH H. BRADY.

WVitnesses:

FRANCIS A. LEACH, WALTER J. FOSTER. 

